Arizona Wildcats baseball

Last updated

Arizona Wildcats
Baseball current event.svg 2024 Arizona Wildcats baseball team
Arizona Wildcats logo.svg
Founded1904
University University of Arizona
Head coach Chip Hale (3rd season)
Conference Pac-12
Location Tucson, Arizona
Home stadium Hi Corbett Field
(Capacity: 9,500)
Nickname Wildcats
ColorsCardinal and navy [1]
   
NCAA Tournament champions
1976, 1980, 1986, 2012
College World Series runner-up
1956, 1959, 1963, 2016
College World Series appearances
1954, 1955, 1956, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1963, 1966, 1970, 1976, 1979, 1980, 1985, 1986, 2004, 2012, 2016, 2021
NCAA regional champions
1976, 1979, 1980, 1985, 1986, 2004, 2008, 2012, 2016, 2021
NCAA Tournament appearances
1950, 1951, 1952, 1953, 1954, 1955, 1956, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1966, 1970, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1989, 1992, 1993, 1999, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2016, 2017, 2021, 2022, 2023
Regular season conference champions
1963, 1966, 1974, 1989, 1992, 2012, 2021 [2]
Kindall Field where the Wildcats played baseball until 2012, when they relocated to nearby Hi Corbett Field Kindall Field.jpg
Kindall Field where the Wildcats played baseball until 2012, when they relocated to nearby Hi Corbett Field

The Arizona Wildcats baseball team is the intercollegiate men's baseball program representing the University of Arizona in Tucson, Arizona, United States. They compete in the Pac-12 Conference (Pac-12) of NCAA Division I. On August 4, 2023, Arizona announced it would join the Big 12 Conference along with Arizona State, Colorado, and Utah beginning in the 2024-25 academic year. [3]

Contents

Arizona has won four college baseball national championships (1976, 1980, 1986 and 2012), the first three under Jerry Kindall and the most recent under Andy Lopez. The team has appeared in the College World Series Championship Game or Series on four other occasions (1956, 1959, 1963, and 2016). The Wildcats have appeared in 40 baseball tournaments in their rich history. Arizona ranks ninth in all-time wins and eight in all-time win percentage, with an all-time record of 2,955–1,604–22 (.647) as of the 2022 season. Arizona fielded its first team in 1905.

Venues

Jerry Kindall Field at Frank Sancet Stadium

The former home of Arizona baseball is Jerry Kindall Field at Frank Sancet Stadium. The park is located on the campus of the University of Arizona, adjacent to the McKale Center, home of the UA athletics department. Arizona played its games at the Kindall Field from prior to the 1967 season through the end of the 2011 season. Modernization of the facility was completed for the 1975 season. Originally called Wildcat Field, the park was officially dedicated Frank Sancet Field on April 19, 1986, in honor of Arizona's longtime head coach. Sancet, who coached from 1950–72, posted an 831–283–8 (.744) mark at the helm of the Cats.

Relocation to Hi Corbett Field

In an effort to have the Wildcat baseball program compete in the best possible facilities, in August 2011, the UA signed an agreement with the city of Tucson for Arizona baseball to play its home games at city-owned Hi Corbett Field, located about three miles southeast of campus, for the 2012 season (beginning with a five-year lease with an option to renew for an additional five years). The UA spent about $350,000 to make several upgrades to the former spring training facility (used as such by the Cleveland Indians and the Colorado Rockies), where the Wildcats previously played selected games in the 1960s and '70s. [4] [5] Through the first three-game series of the 2012 season against North Dakota State, the attendance at the stadium was a total of 8,870, which was nearly 1/4th of the total home attendance for the Wildcats' previous season at Sancet Stadium.

In 2012, the Wildcats posted a 38–17 regular season record (20–10 in Pac-12 conference play), capturing a share of the Pac-12 baseball championship, the school's first league title since 1992. As a result, Hi Corbett Field hosted both an NCAA Regional and Super Regional tournament, and Arizona won both of those to advance to the 2012 College World Series (the program's first postseason appearance in Omaha since 2004) [6] where the team won its fourth national championship. In the 2012 season, the team brought in almost $350,000 in ticket revenue (not including revenue for tickets sold during the NCAA Regional or Super Regional); this is compared to the 2011 season, when Arizona baseball brought in $69,000 worth of ticket revenue in its final season at Sancet Stadium. The relocation of the Wildcat baseball program to Hi Corbett Field has been noted as a major factor in the team's successful 2012 season. [7]

In March 2017, the University signed a 25-year lease on Hi Corbett Field, taking over the day-to-day management of the baseball stadium from the City of Tucson. [8]

Individual honors

Notable alumni

Retired jerseys

Student-Athlete jerseys are retired but not individual player numbers. [11]

No.Player
1John Salmon
2Lee Franklin
15Trevor Hoffman
32 Terry Francona
41Kelsey Osburn

Rivalries

Arizona State

Arizona’s main rival is Arizona State. Although they are famously known for their rivalry in football and basketball as well as softball, both schools have had a rich baseball tradition in their history. The Wildcats lead the Sun Devils in all time baseball series 260–227–1 as of May 2023 and both teams have had several players drafted into MLB.

In recent years, Arizona has had an edge over Arizona State in college baseball success. In 2010 ASU won the Pac-10 and also advanced to the College World Series, capping the end of a dominating run of 4 straight Pac-10 conference championships and 3 CWS appearances in 4 years (missed CWS in 2008). Later, the NCAA would vacate the 2007 Pac-10 Championship and 2007 CWS appearance from ASU's record.

Since then Arizona has won the CWS (2012), was the CWS runner-up (2016) and won the Pac-12 Championship (2021). In contrast to Arizona's recent success, ASU has not won the Pac-10/12 Conference since 2010, has not been the CWS runner up since 1988 and has not won a NCAA Championship since 1981. Arizona has won 2 NCAA championships since 1981. While ASU still has a more robust historical record (5x NCAA Champs, 1965, 1967, 1969, 1977, 1981 and 21x CWS appearances), Arizona has narrowed that gap in the last 10 years.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hi Corbett Field</span> Baseball stadium in Tucson, Arizona

Hi Corbett Field is a baseball park in the southwestern United States, located in Tucson, Arizona. With a seating capacity of approximately 9,500, it was the spring training home of the Colorado Rockies and Cleveland Indians of Major League Baseball, and is currently home to the University of Arizona Wildcats of the Pac-12 Conference.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arizona Wildcats</span> University of Arizona athletic teams

The Arizona Wildcats are the athletic teams that represent the University of Arizona, located in Tucson. The Wildcats compete at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I level as a member of the Pac-12 Conference. Arizona's chief intercollegiate rival is the Arizona State Sun Devils, and the two universities' athletic departments compete against each other in multiple sports via the State Farm Territorial Cup Series.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jerry Kindall</span> American baseball player (1935–2017)

Gerald Donald Kindall was an American professional baseball player and college baseball player and coach. He was primarily a second baseman in Major League Baseball (MLB) who appeared in 742 games played over nine seasons for the Chicago Cubs, Cleveland Indians (1962–64), and Minnesota Twins (1964–65). After his playing career, he became the head baseball coach of the University of Arizona Wildcats, winning 860 games and three College World Series (CWS) championships over 24 seasons (1973–1996). Kindall batted and threw right-handed and was listed as 6 feet 2 inches (1.88 m) tall and 175 pounds (79 kg).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jerry Kindall Field at Frank Sancet Stadium</span> College baseball stadium in Tucson, Arizona

Jerry Kindall Field at Frank Sancet Stadium was a college baseball park in the southwestern United States, located on the campus of the University of Arizona in Tucson, Arizona. Prior to 2012, it was the home field of the Arizona Wildcats of the Pac-10 Conference.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2012 Arizona Wildcats baseball team</span>

The 2012 Arizona Wildcats baseball team represented the University of Arizona in the 2012 NCAA Division I baseball season. The Wildcats played their home games at Hi Corbett Field, off campus in Tucson, AZ. This was the first full season for the Wildcats at Hi Corbett Field, which is the former spring training home of the Cleveland Indians and Colorado Rockies. Andy Lopez was in his eleventh season as Arizona Wildcats baseball head coach. Lopez was in his twenty-fourth year as head coach. The Wildcats tied for first in the Pac-12 Conference with UCLA, finishing with a 20–10 conference record. The Wildcats finished the season with a 48–17 record. Six players were picked in the 2012 Major League Baseball Draft.

The 1986 Arizona Wildcats baseball team represented the University of Arizona in the 1986 NCAA Division I baseball season. The team was coached by Jerry Kindall in his 14th season at Arizona.

The 1980 Arizona Wildcats baseball team represented the University of Arizona in the 1980 NCAA Division I baseball season. The Wildcats played their home games at Wildcat Field. The team was coached by Jerry Kindall in his 8th season at Arizona. The Wildcats finished with a record of 45-21-1 and 17–13 in conference play, finishing tied for 1st in the "Six-Pac". This was the Wildcats' 1st Pacific-10 Conference championship. Arizona advanced to the postseason for the 3rd straight season and was selected to host the West Regional at Wildcat Field. The Wildcats defeated Fresno State in their 1st game before defeating Gonzaga twice to advance to the College World Series for the 2nd straight season. After losing their 1st game in Omaha, Nebraska to St. John's, Arizona won the next 4 against Florida State, Michigan, Hawaii and California to advance to the final game: a rematch against Hawaii. The Wildcats defeated Hawaii 5–3 to win their 2nd National Championship.

The 1963 Arizona Wildcats baseball team represented the University of Arizona in the 1963 NCAA University Division baseball season. The Wildcats played their home games at UA Field and Hi Corbett Field in Tucson, Arizona. The team was coached by Frank Sancet in his fourteenth season at Arizona.

The 1959 Arizona Wildcats baseball team represented the University of Arizona in the 1959 NCAA University Division baseball season. The Wildcats played their home games at UA Field and Hi Corbett Field in Tucson, Arizona. The team was coached by Frank Sancet in his ninth season at Arizona.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1956 Arizona Wildcats baseball team</span> American university baseball season

The 1956 Arizona Wildcats baseball team represented the University of Arizona in the 1956 NCAA baseball season. The Wildcats played their home games at UA Field and Hi Corbett Field in Tucson, Arizona. The team was coached by Frank Sancet in his seventh season at Arizona.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2011 Arizona Wildcats baseball team</span> Baseball team

The 2011 Arizona Wildcats baseball team represented the University of Arizona in the 2011 NCAA Division I baseball season. The Wildcats played their home games for the final season at Jerry Kindall Field at Frank Sancet Stadium. Following the season, the team would move to the off-campus Hi Corbett Field. The team was coached by Andy Lopez in his 10th season at Arizona.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2021 Arizona Wildcats baseball team</span>

The 2021 Arizona Wildcats baseball team represented the University of Arizona during the 2021 NCAA Division I baseball season. The Wildcats played their home games for the 10th season at Hi Corbett Field. The team was coached by Jay Johnson in his 6th season and final season at Arizona. Following the season, Coach Johnson was hired as the head baseball coach at Louisiana State University. The Wildcats ranked 10th in Collegiate Baseball's preseason poll - their highest preseason ranking in any poll since 2013 - and their incoming recruiting class was ranked 4th in the nation by D1Baseball. On May 23, the Wildcats clinched at least a share of the Pac-12 Championship for the first time since the 2012 season that saw the team win the College World Series. Following a 3-11 loss by the Oregon Ducks to the California Golden Bears on May 28, the team clinched their first outright Pac-12 title since 1989. On May 30, Hi Corbett Field was selected as one of the NCAA's 16 postseason Regional sites for the first time since 2012. The following day the Wildcats were selected as the tournaments No. 5 overall seed - their first selection as a top 8 seed since the implementation of the current seeding system in 1999 - marking their first postseason appearance since 2017. On June 6, the Wildcats defeated UC Santa Barbara 5-2 to win the Tucson Regional and advance to their first Super Regional since 2016 when the team forged their way to the College World Series finals. The Wildcats would go on to defeat Ole Miss 2 games to 1, to advance to their 18th College World Series appearance all-time. They subsequently were eliminated in two games, losing to the defending champion from 2019, No. 4 seed Vanderbilt as well as Stanford.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2004 Arizona Wildcats baseball team</span> American college baseball season

The 2004 Arizona Wildcats baseball team represented the University of Arizona in the 2004 NCAA Division I baseball season. The Wildcats played their home games at Jerry Kindall Field at Frank Sancet Stadium. The team was coached by Andy Lopez in his third year at Arizona.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2022 Arizona Wildcats baseball team</span>

The 2022 Arizona Wildcats baseball team represented the University of Arizona during the 2022 NCAA Division I baseball season. The Wildcats played their home games for the 11th season at Hi Corbett Field. The team was coached by Chip Hale in his 1st season at Arizona. Previous head coach Jay Johnson - who had been with the program for 6 seasons - was hired during the offseason as the head coach at LSU, filling the vacancy left by the retirement of Paul Mainieri. The Wildcats finished 5th in the Pac-12, but were selected into the NCAA tournament for the 2nd straight year for the first time since 2016–17. The Wildcats lost to Ole Miss in the regional final of the Coral Gables Regional.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jerry Stitt</span> American college baseball coach

Jerry Lewis Stitt is a retired American baseball coach, predominately in college baseball. Regarded as one of the top hitting coaches of his era, Stitt spent 18 seasons as an assistant coach to Jerry Kindall at the University of Arizona.

UA Field was a college baseball park in the southwestern United States, located on the campus of the University of Arizona in Tucson, Arizona. It served as the home field of the Arizona Wildcats baseball team from 1929 to 1966.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arizona–Arizona State baseball rivalry</span> College baseball rivalry

The Arizona–Arizona State baseball rivalry is a college baseball rivalry between the University of Arizona Wildcats and the Arizona State University Sun Devils. Both programs are two of the most storied and successful in college baseball history, combining for a total of 9 College World Series championships, 40 College World Series appearances, 82 NCAA tournament appearances and 27 conference regular-season championships. Since Arizona State founded a baseball program in 1907 the teams have met 489 times.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1992 Arizona Wildcats baseball team</span>

The 1992 Arizona Wildcats baseball team represented the University of Arizona during the 1992 NCAA Division I baseball season. The Wildcats played their home games at Frank Sancet Stadium. The team was coached by Jerry Kindall in his 20th season at Arizona. The Wildcats finished 34-23 overall and placed 1st in the Pacific-10's Southern Division with an 18–12 record. This was Arizona's final conference championship under Coach Kindall and would be their last for 20 years until clinching a share of the then-Pac-12 Conference championship in 2012. The Wildcats made the postseason for the 1st time since 1989 and were selected to host the West Regional at Sancet Stadium. This would be the final time Sancet Stadium would host postseason play and, coincidentally, was the last time the program would host a regional until the same 2012 season when the program would win its 4th College World Series title. The Wildcats lost back to back games to Washington and Hawaii to end their season.

References

  1. ↑ "Colors | University of Arizona Brand Resources" . Retrieved September 9, 2022.
  2. ↑ "Arizona clinches share of 2021 Pac-12 Baseball title, earns NCAA auto bid | Pac-12".
  3. ↑ Robbins, Robert C. (August 4, 2023). "University of Arizona Will Join the Big 12 Conference in 2024-25". University of Arizona Athletics.
  4. ↑ "UA Baseball to Play at Hi Corbett Field". UA News. University of Arizona. August 10, 2011.
  5. ↑ Finley, Ryan (January 6, 2012). "Arizona Wildcats baseball: Lopez, Cats excited to get going in new Hi Corbett digs". Arizona Daily Star.
  6. ↑ "Arizona Advances to First CWS Since '04". ColumbiaTribune.com. The Associated Press. June 10, 2012. Archived from the original on June 12, 2012. Retrieved June 12, 2012.
  7. ↑ "University of Arizona Baseball: Making the College World Series...and Money". Forbes.com. June 13, 2012. Retrieved June 16, 2012.
  8. ↑ Ferguson, Joe (March 29, 2017). "UA will upgrade, manage Hi Corbett Field in new lease with Tucson". Arizona Daily Star. Retrieved May 10, 2020.
  9. ↑ "Arizona hires ex-Wildcats star Chip Hale as baseball coach". AP NEWS. July 5, 2021. Retrieved August 27, 2021.
  10. ↑ Lev, Michael. "All-time Wildcat great, former Diamondbacks manager Chip Hale named UA baseball coach". Arizona Daily Star. Retrieved August 27, 2021.
  11. ↑ ""Retirement of jerseys" at Wildcats website". Archived from the original on April 25, 2013. Retrieved May 8, 2013.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.